Your launch
Published scale for this path: commonly weeks from approved samples to shipped goods, because the formula already exists. That is the whole span, not a duration for any single step.
Milestone checklist
Enter each duration in calendar days, counted from the previous step to this one. Dates are computed from your start date plus only the durations you entered, and are labeled user-supplied. A step with no duration entered has no date.
| Milestone | Published duration | Your duration | Planned date (user-supplied durations only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total planned span (user-supplied durations only) | — | — | — |
How to read it
Each step depends on the one before it. Approved samples are the anchor the guides use for lead time: ask for the realistic lead time from approved samples to shipped goods, in writing, along with the testing list, development-fee position, reorder minimums, and payment terms. A vague timeline is a warning sign — “soon” and “about a month” are not lead times. Get the sequence stage by stage, with the assumptions behind it and the events that would extend it, such as a further sample revision or a packaging delay.
The path changes the shape, not the honesty. A stock formula already exists, so there is no development step; custom work adds development, sampling rounds, and testing before production, which is why it is measured in months rather than weeks. For semi-custom work, a stock base is modified to your brief and then sampled and revised. Start with the guide to choosing a skincare manufacturer, and use the skincare line cost guide for the cost bands behind each step — estimates based on general industry patterns, not a quote.
Use the checklist as a record, not a promise. Keep the brief you sent, every quote, and every duration your manufacturer gave you in writing, in the same file. If a date slips, the step whose duration changed is the step to re-confirm — the rest of the plan follows from it, in order.
Confirm every duration. Timelines vary, and this planner invents none of them. If a step has no duration from your manufacturer, it has no date here — ask for it in writing before you commit to a launch date.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't this planner show how long each step takes?
Because the guides publish no duration for any single step. The only published scale is for a whole path: a stock-formula launch is commonly measured in weeks from approved samples to shipped goods, and custom formulation is measured in months. Every step below therefore reads Duration not published — confirm with your manufacturer, unless you enter a duration your manufacturer gave you.
How do I turn my manufacturer's durations into dates?
Ask your manufacturer for each step in writing, then enter each duration in calendar days in the Your duration column. Dates are computed from your start date plus only the durations you entered, and every computed date is labeled user-supplied. A step with no duration entered has no date — that gap is honest, not missing data.
Get the lead time in writing
Use the manufacturer checklist to ask for a stage-by-stage timeline, then bring those durations back here and turn them into dates. Timelines vary — confirm every duration with your manufacturer.